Star Wars: The Modern 12 Back Part I

Part I

In the Star Wars collecting community there’s a lot of reverence for the first 12 action figures Kenner released. Initially on cards known as ’12 backs’ due to the card art showing illustrations of these original dozen figures, this selection of characters is at the core of any Star Wars collection, and with good reason – Luke, Han and Leia, Chewie and the Droids and Old Ben Kenobi give you all the good guys; Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper and, bizarrely, an Imperial Death Squad Commander round out the bad guys, whilst a Jawa and Tusken Raider give you all the indigenous life you need. Of course, the Star Wars toy line is now well known for quite how wide and deep it goes; but with these 12 figures you’re one Grand Moff Tarkin short of A New Hope prison break.

When I was starting out with the modern line I latched on to the 12 back figures as a collecting focus, and aimed to get the best present day iterations of each. Earlier this year I more or less completed that goal, and now it’s time to finally give these guys (and gal) a stage…

Tusken Raider

Though they may be easily startled, the Tusken Raiders would still be pretty terrifying to encounter when out in the sticks alone. This figure, from 2012’s Discover the Force line is a solid representation of the Sand People as they appeared in A New Hope, resplendent with flowing robes and a gaffi stick. This one also came with a rifle, but that’s more for shooting at Pod Racers than knocking out errant moisture farmers…

With 14 points of articulation this Tusken Raider, originally released in 2006 as part of the VTSC line, is the finest sample you’re going to find – just as long as you don’t want his swivel hips to straddle a Bantha, that is…

C-3PO

Human-Cyborg relations have rarely looked finer than they do here, with 2006’s Saga Collection C-3PO. Whilst this figure is based on Threepio from Return of the Jedi, coming with an Ewok throne, he’s not a character that changes appearance, save for gaining dust or dirt, through the Original Trilogy. With eight points of articulation this Threepio does all that you need him to do, and the shiny gold finish (with silver lower right leg) bring the character fully to 3.75” life.

I was really interested in getting the Vintage Collection matte gold C-3PO, but the lack of availability and exorbitant secondary market price put me off. It doesn't matter though, as this Threepio is a fantastic release, and fits in with the modern 12 perfectly.

Imperial Navy Commander

The Imperial Navy Commander was a slightly confusing release for the start of the line, coming out ahead of Greedo and Walrus Man, and nearly two decades before Grand Moff Tarkin saw the plastic light of day. However he makes good cannon fodder for the Rebel heroes, or as an officer for Darth Vader to boss around. Every Empire needs its underlings, right?

This version is from 2012, and The Vintage Collection. With 14 points of articulation, a removable helmet and a gun with working holster this guy has some serious build quality for a nameless background character. It commands a fair price on the secondary market, so I think I was lucky to get it when I did.

Han Solo

Captain, scoundrel and coolest guy in the galaxy, Han Solo was a lock for the very first wave of Star Wars figures. The pinhead/big head variations of Han Solo were amongst the first variations to happen in the line, starting a long tradition of collectors searching for every running change/factory screw up they could find. Considering you’re here you probably know all about Han Solo, so there’s not much else to say – except for maybe that he shot first.

This Yavin Ceremony Han Solo is from The Vintage Collection in 2011, and comes with the medal he received at the end of the film. Whilst some collectors prefer earlier versions of the character, this is the definitive Han figure to me. With 14 points of articulation (including some very tidy wrists), a blaster with working holster and an absolutely dead-on appearance, you will not find a better A New Hope Han Solo.

Parts II and III to follow!

The Purge: The First to Go...

I have my first few listings up on Ebay for the Purge, the catch-all term I'm using to describe the stripping down and streamlining of my collection. Every item is at a 99p start and with reasonable postage, so I'm really not trying to rip anyone off; I'll just be happy to clear out some space (both physically and mentally) and make some pennies whilst I do it.

First up is the Anniversary Collection Evolutions Jango Fett figure, which I obtained in the AOTC Bluray multipack...

The Ultimate Army Builder.

I've highlighted this figure before here, but now it's time to say goodbye. Despite coming from Episode II, an instalment better forgotten, Jango is actually a fairly decent character as a gun slingin', 'simple man' of a bounty hunter.  The thing is, this toy looks awful. I mean, it's in good condition, but look how squeezed that helmet is on the head, and how off-colour the purple jumpsuit looks. I don't watch AOTC with regularity at all, but I remember it well enough to know that Jango looked a lot more blue under the armour than he does here. Regardless of the many points of articulation this version has, the 2013 Saga Legends edition just looks far, far superior.

The Ultimate Penknife

R2-D2 here was a present that came from the previous incarnation of Saga Legends, although research tells me it was originally available in 2005 as part of the Revenge of the Sith line. It's a decent figure, good sculpt and size, but it's one of four R2s I have - the OTC Dagobah R2 is also electronic and is part of a set, the Saga Collection R2 is my standard go to Astromech and the POTF2 version I'm keeping for the sake of sentimentality. This isn't a bad figure at all, but it's a case of being the odd droid out.

Hero Lot

Luke & Han from TAC are both figures that I acquired in job lots, and I don't really have any need for either. I've photographed this Luke figure once, but generally use the Legacy Collection version as my default whiny farmboy. I would use the Han if I had a Millennium Falcon, but I very much doubt I'll own one of them any time soon...

Hot Wheels? No Wheels!

There's actually a bit of an embarrassing story behind how I ended up owning this Galoob Action Fleet Landspeeder, because when I bought it I thought I was getting a rather cheap Hasbro/Kenner POTF2 version. As soon as it arrived I realised my error, but it was my fault for not asking any questions of the seller and leaping on the purchase at the last minute, however vague the listing was. I still managed to work it into a few shots though and, needless to say, I've been crystal clear when listing it this time around.

Dark Knight in Bright Light!

It's not all Star Wars. This Batman figure from Mattel's DKR line was bought for a reduced and insanely low price, and it's served its purpose for one shot. However I've since acquired the Play Arts Kai Dark Knight Trilogy Bats, and since I'm not picking up any other 3.75" DC heroes, I've hit the end of the road with this one. As a kid I would've loved this Batman, as opposed to all the day-glo versions we got from the movie lines and animated series, but it's now surplus to requirement.

*

And so the Purge has begun. Do I have any second thoughts? Well, Jango Fett is the first figure that really raises any questions for me, because not only is it the only figure I've looked at today that I don't own another version of, but it's also something that I'm in two minds about whether to even replace. I'd like the 5POA Mission Series Jango, and also the Class II Slave 1 ship for him to pilot (toys being toys again!) but as I inferred above, Episode II doesn't hold any huge appeal for me. As collecting is becoming affordable and interesting again with both Saga Legends and next year's Rebels, I think it's important to set parameters - and the first of those is to stick to my stated Star Wars focus of collecting Episode III and onwards only. It felt good remembering this when I came within a whisker of picking up the Geonosis Mission Series pack today.

I'll be back on Wednesday and Friday highlighting and justifying the rest of the stuff I'm selling, whilst also thinking out loud about the 5POA vs SA debate, and why I'll never be a customiser...

As always, thanks for reading!

Running into Trouble...

I posted this on my Flickr photostream, but the colour temperature was much colder, so I fixed it for here. Not sure which version I prefer now... :S

Film-making is taking over my life currently, which is probably why this photo has such a cinematic treatment. I'll update when I can!

Ran Into Some Old Friends - Redux

Another quick post today, with the fruits of a hastily-planned and executed photo shoot. This is my second version of this shot (the first is available here), with one key difference - I finally have the VOTC Leia! That means I'm two-thirds of the way to my goal of getting the best modern iterations of the vintage 12.

Even here the Leia sculpt isn't an amazing likeness to Carrie Fisher, but astoundingly this is the best currently on offer. Still, I'm sure there'll be a decent one released by the time ANH is re-re-released in 3D.

So, that'll be 2015 then...

Death Star

Another quick shot, messing around with lighting. This uses the Death Star hallway set I made, although as you can probably tell, it comes up a little tight for the figures. It gives nice shadows though, and generally works more than well enough for what I use it for (shots like these and general display).

You may have seen the above on my Flickr. This shot uses the same set, and pretty much the same angle as the one above. Versatile set design, see? :D

Been looking into finishing off my modern day equivalent vintage 12 back collection (that's a mouthful of a focus title!), as soon as I can justify the funds. Until then, these guys will do nicely!

Friends Reunited

TVC Yavin Ceremony Han Solo arrived last week, and what a figure it is! Most likely my favourite of the new style figures I've been acquiring, and I'm sure that's due to more than just novelty - it's a sturdy figure, a good sculpt with crisp detailing, and it's several hundred miles better than the POTF2 version I had been using. Plus, put him together with Chewie and you have an instant smuggler display!

An updated Leia and C-3PO to go before I have definitive versions of all the main characters; a Stormtrooper, Tusken Raider, Jawa and Death Star Commander to go until the original 12 update is complete... I'll probably cool my boots for a little while and enjoy what I've got, but it's nice to have focus!

The New Hope!

On Sunday I went shopping at my local discount store, where my girlfriend spotted an ROTS re-issue of the 'all new likeness' Princess Leia, packaged with a plastic cup, for the paltry price of £4. After purchasing and opening said figure, I knew it was finally time to open my ANH Blu-Ray Commemorative Pack.

I was not disappointed.

The sculpting and posability on these figures is second to none, especially for a seasoned (former) POTF2 collector as myself. Luke looks like Luke, Ben Kenobi is incredibly accurate and the Sandtrooper is the boss, completely. Even the R2-D2, which I thought would be the weakest of the four, has a nifty action feature whereby you twist his dome and his sensor pops out; and that's on top of a superb sculpt and crisp, clean paint apps. I don't think there's any going back now...

Given the increase to my ANH principal cast, it meant I was finally able to better utilise my Death Star walls, and get my own version of that classic promo shot...

The Leia and Han are nice place fillers, but they really pale in comparrison (literally with the Han, he's from the Jabba pack and his skin is almost green). Time to upgrade the POTF2s, no?

Finally, sorry it's been a while between posts, but college work, film-making and other projects have taken over. My comic/writing/film-making blog is now up and running at http://dopemeat.wordpress.com; take a look if you have a spare couple of minutes!

Nice and Easy...

The Special Editions were the defining cinematic experience of my youth, even more so than Jurrasic Park. Having had the theatrical versions on VHS, I was as excited as I would've been on blue Smarties about the new and updated content. Case in point - Jabba checking on Han in Mos Eisley. Not a bad scene, makes Greedo's appearance (and demise) a little more unnecessary, but then at the end, we get Boba Fett doing a final sweep and stare into the camera. Geek rejoice!